BLIND DATE AFTERMATH 2

He is only the... "brrrrrrrm"

My phone vibrates, "He's calling me",

Her eyes widen with delight, "pick pick pick!" she chants,

"Okay okay, Calm the fuck down, you're making me nervous, why the fuck am I nervous?!".

"Pick joor" she urges,

"Hello."

"Hi pretty lady".

I look at Amaka smiling "put it on speaker she mouths" "no!" I mouth back, sticking my tongue out and put the phone on speaker.

His rich deep voice comes across the phone.  "I wanted to be sure you didn't get abducted by my driver, are you home yet?"
"Yes I am thanks, I was going to text you in a minute,"
"Okay you know I was hanging on to my phone waiting for your call, till I could wait no longer.."
"Hahaha, dont start with your jokes,"
"I'm for real" he urges, "I was hyperventilating at some point! Im kidding, i love your laugh so forgive me for trying to be overtly humorous, thank you so much for tonight, I thoroughly enjoyed your company",
"The pleasure is all mine,"
"I'l be sure to send Tubosun some flowers and chocolates for this,"
"Lol, there you go again..."
"Alright alright, il let you go to bed now",
Thanks for checking, your driver said you offered for him to give me a ride to work tomorrow morning..? thank you, that was really thoughtful."
"My pleasure shubu, Ill let you sleep, while I go dream about your beautiful face. I'l call you in the morning, sleep well."
"You too, Bye."

"JEEEEEEEZ!!!"

Amaka swoons as she collapses on the couch, "he loves you!!!!! guuurl you just hit a mega big fish jack fucking pot if anything like that exists!"
"Abegi, stop joor, Oya just gimme the scoop, what do you know bout him,"
"Babes, you cant have spent two years in Lagos, and not have heard about the Osaka family,  anyway they are a Lagos family but they are pretty popular here in Abuja too, He is the only son of the real estate tycoon Mr Tega Osaka, they own like  half of Lagos state and they are slowly coming into Abuja "
"Okay....?"
"But there is good news and there is bad new" she said
"Bad news,.. How?"

To be continued...

SHUBU IN "BLIND DATE AFTERMATH"

Brrrrrrrrrm!!! The deep vibrations of my phone in the purse on my lap, startle me from my reverie, it must be Lewi, my best friend and flat mate, messaging me to get the scoop on the date. I whip the phone out of my purse to see a barrage of missed calls and text messages, damn, that girl has no chill.. I send her a short sms, "babe I'm almost home, see you in a bit". The car makes a final turn to the left slowing down as I signal to him that were getting closer, he pulls up at the towering gate of Millennium Suites Apartments Building, honking his horn for the security guard to open the gate.

 I look out the window at the building as it stretches up into a humongous high rising marble and glass structure of shining lights from the different apartments, I remember when  I used to dream about living in Millennium, I would pass by on my way everyday from work and on weekends after my part time lectures, I would stroll down from my school and go into the apartment complex, sit in the gardens and just watch the lights from the different apartments imagining their lives, what could be going on with them and imagine if I lived in their world...

That was a long time ago now...

That was before Amaka moved to Abuja. I had met Amaka at a music school in Lagos, when I made a spontaneous decision to follow my dreams of being a musician and making it big in the Nigerian music scene. I finished school and was on the first plane to Lagos after I managed to strong arm (more like nag) my parents into letting me go "chase my dreams".  I enrolled in a music school and though I can't say much was achieved from that stint at least in retrospect when  I think about it, my consolation is I gained a good friend!

Amaka was the proverbial rich kid, she had everything that she could ever want and being the only girl in a family of four boys, she grew up rather spoilt but in spite of all that she was down to earth, funny and fun to be with, she didn't have the airs that most girls put up and we clicked immediately. She was an absolute wild card, tomboyish but strikingly pretty. The first time I saw her I was seated at the back of the class during one of the music lessons when she walked into the class with a guitarbag slung over her shoulders, she was wearing ripped jeans with a Guns and Roses t-shirt under a ripped denim jacket. Her hair was closely cropped on both sides with a wild Mohawk in the middle, she flounced into the seat next to me and gave me a toothy smile, she was very pretty, dark skinned with very strong brows and a long pointed nose decorated with a tiny skull and cross bones nose ring, she stretched out her hand to shake mine "Hi, I hope I'm not late, I'm Amaka",  Something within me told me we were going to be fast friends. Overtime we became inseparable and our classmates gave us the nickname Shubu and Lewi, I guess her's was from her unconditional love for levi's and as for Shubu, I really don't know how it came about but it did and it stuck.

Amaka loved to party and have a good time which was fine by me since I usually needed motivation to go out. There was never a dull moment when she was around so when she called and told me that she wanted to relocate to Abuja, I was more than excited to have her here.

The driver asked me what time he should come for me tomorrow, I said 8am, I thanked him with a smile and left.
He smiled back, shutting the door behind me and I walked briskly across the terrace to our apartment door. I open the door to see Lewi curled on a couch, watching TV.
She glances up in her usual dramatic fashion "girl it's called a mobile phone girl like you take it with you and answer it when it rings didn't you get the memo?" she rolls her eyes, shaking her head in mock exasperation. "And a good evening to you too madam, you're just a drama queen" I reply. "Haha, whatever, welcome back jare, I was calling you non-stop wondering if you had been kidnapped. What happened to yo ass?! Eniiiiway sha, tell me how your blind date went, you said you would be home before I blinked and now it's past 12 and you weren't answering your phone, don't tell me you were already getting freaky with him?" a sly smile creeping across her face.

I smile and shake my head. Her eyes widen as she springs off the couch with a mock gasp "you were! On the first date! You freaky little girl, well hallelujah somebody! I'm finally rubbing some good stuff off on you, aren't I?. Come, come my child tell me all about it" she grabs me by the arm "Hahahaha oh stop it already, you're such a perv it was nothing like that, we got carried away.. Talking, we didn't know time was so far spent" I reply. She stops and lets go of my arm "Tsk Tsk Tsk, talking, still a boring old sod" she replies shaking her head. "Haha, you're just so silly," I pause, smiling "well, it was fun, really fun, he turned out to be really nice, and oh my god so hot though, really handsome, really intelligent, I don't know what I enjoyed more talking with him or staring into his deep hazel eyes" *jeez* he's soo fine babe. "Yeah Yeah" she but in, "before you start getting all love dovie and making me jealous, tell me about him, what does he do, where's he from, is he good in bed?"
"You're such a fool" I reply laughing, she laughs too, "Okay oya jus tell me the ones you know"

"Ermm well his name is Tega, Tega Osaka, he is tall dark and handsome" I say smiling, remembering his exact words "he works in construction, he is the..
"wait WHAT?!" she cuts me mid sentence.
"What? I ask raising my brows.
"What did you say his name was, did I hear you correctly"
"I said his name is Tega Osaka"
Her eyes widen as she looks at me with a renewed awe raising her hands to her cheeks "Wait wait wait you went on a date with Tega Osaka, the Tega Osaka, omg, omg, omg!!!!" she's spinning around in circles now with a wide grin spreading across her face.
"What now" I say now genuinely confused "do you know him?!" she turns to me in her usual dramatic fashion "babe you don't?! Shubu you went on a date with Tega Osaka and you didn't know?? Damn girl I wish I had your luck!!".
"Ohhh stop now and tell me, Am I supposed to know him?" I reply.
"Well my darling friend," she says "since it is obvious you have been living under a rock let me do the honor of educating you about who Mr Tega Osaka II is...."

To be continued....

SHUBU IN "BLIND DATE BOMBSHELL" PART 3

"I had a nice time", I said turning to look at him,

We were getting up to leave, "quite frankly I didn't expect it to be this good honestly. Thank you "." You thought I would be a total bore right" he smiled, "No, not really, I've just never been a fan of blind dates somewhere in my mind,  I always think they go horribly!"
"Well I hope I proved you wrong today" "Indeed you did" I said.  "Do you need a ride home" he asked, "Nah I'm good, I'll just catch a cab" "Well, I could drop you off if you like" he pressed on "no you've been far too kind already" "Okay, if you insist",  he says with that coy smile playing on his lips again "precautions right? in case I become a potential stalker". "Oh stop it already" I reply laughing. "Allow me to get my driver to drop you off then" he smiles.  "Okay thanks a million"  He signals to the maitre'd and he comes over, he whispers some instructions to him and he scurries off.

"So while we're waiting, I can still ask some prying questions"  he says smiling, I laugh, "why don't I do the asking cos it seems iv been talking about me all evening long, how about we talk about you" I say, "fair enough" he says. "Soooooo where do I start from, Il love to ask how good your doggie style is but I don't want to be too forward so il save that for question two" he bursts into laughter, his hazel eyes sparkling "you're hilarious!!!!" he says, shaking his head "I almost choked on my wine Jeez"
"I kid, I kid, forgive my silly sense of humor. it's out of control at times".I say. He smiles making eye contact, "Naughty, I love it...."

For some reason in that instant with our eyes locked, I feel my stomach drop like into a pit.. Those eyes..  yikes!"Thank you" I mutter a bit too quietly "Okay on the real now tell me more about yourself" "Humm about myself,  where to start from, iv already told you the basics but there's still so much to tell that we can finish up tonight so you have to guarantee me a second date so il be sure I can tell you all of it" I smile shaking my head "Corny but second date guaranteed"I said "Yes!! now I can talk, well as you already know, my name is Tega, I'm tall, dark and handsome" he smiles, "Reality check you're light skinned" I interject "Don't kill the magic girl" he says winking, I laugh shaking my head. "okay il be serious now" he continues, Like I said I'm an architect, I work in construction, designing and building of houses, hotels, offices, shopping malls etcetera etcetera, I loved to draw and build lego as a child, I just channeled that into architecture." He pauses, "So can I answer question number two now" he asks innocently,.

I laugh "Stop being cheeky", the maitre'd come along and says "madam the driver is here". oh wow, thank you", that was fast my mind offers, i turn back to face him "Tega... it was amazing really, thank you".  I hate to see you go" he says "I hope il see you soon". He comes around and gives me a long hug, pulling me in, he smelled so good, I bury my face in his broad chest, i could literally stay there in his arms, forever. He pulls back, planting a light kiss on my cheek, if I was a white girl, I think at that moment I would have turned a bright red.

"Will you ring me soon as you get home?" He asks, "I will.. Definitely" He smiles, "have a goodnight Shubu.."  "You too Tega" I follow the maitre'd to the car downstairs, he turns to me and says "Madam, MR Tega has asked for his driver to come pick you for your work function tomorrow if that is okay with you?"  "Oh really, wow how thoughtful, he didn't have to, please thank him for me, thank you very much.".

I climb in smiling, He closes the door behind me and waves me away, as the car makes its way down the driveway, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction and giddiness, as we approach the gate, I turn back one more time to drink in the lights of CASABLANCA, the this just happen.... Iwant to remember this moment...

I sigh satisfactorily, sitting back comfortably into the chair as the car speeds off into the night. ..

To be continued...

SHUBU IN "BLIND DATE BOMBSHELL PART 2"

He had the most beautiful hazel eyes shaded by thick perfectly arched eyebrows. Set in a perfectly oval face. His eyes held an unexplained kind of innocence and mystery to them, they seemed to pull me in making me desire deeply to know him more and at the same time, making me feel like I already knew him long before we started to talk. As I settled into the chair I secretly wished a thousand blessings upon Tubosun for setting this up. He was incredibly handsome, he had a light mustache over perfectly formed  pink lips. I had to pinch myself to stop gawking at him.

He sat back down in his chair and looked at me in my eyes, "thank you for meeting up with me even on a short notice, At some point I thought you weren't going to show up" he said. "Oh it's absolutely my pleasure"I said, Turning my charm-o-meter up to a hundred percent! I'm glad I came and so sorry for the delays, I was held up at work". "Not a problem" he said, maintaining eye contact, "you are well worth the wait"... (Oh God..He has flows too?! damn it, i could feel my cynical brain turning into mush) "This is a very nice place" I say changing the topic, "it's amazing to think that since I moved to Abuja iv been to so many places but iv never been here, I've heard a lot about it though, it's really amazing". "I'm glad you like it", he smiles, flashing a set of perfect straight white teeth, "Yes I do, it's beautiful". "It is indeed" he replies, giving me a deep piercing gaze. Owwkay is he talking about me or the restaurant? I smile shyly, yikes I can feel the shyness begin to rise up inside of me, are those butterflies fluttering? (Fuck! I have to squash those bugs!!).

I break away from his gaze, looking out the window, my gaze falls to the massive Olympics size swimming pool twenty feet down from where we are and something about that blue water with the name CASABLANCA lit up at the base of the pool seemed so magical.., almost surreal... Am I dreaming?! I'm sitting next to a super hot guy in a super posh restaurant having a super cool conversation and feeling super chill about it all?!! I better wake up now! I'm about to start pinching myself awake when his voice breaks through my reverie.. "So tell me about yourself" he says I look up and see him watching me keenly, closely as if his eyes could decipher what I was thinking, he had a slight smile tugging the corner of his lips, could he tell I was shy..? Okay Shubu, Breathe..

"Well all you see is all I am" I say smiling "I'm a five foot eight drama queen with a big heart and a big booty" he does a mock gasp as his eyes widen "big booty?! really??! you don't say, well I didn't quite notice that when you walked in, you mind standing up and giving me a little spin?" I laugh "you're funny", he smiles "well you started it". "Yeah yeah" I reply smiling "I'm breaking the ice" I say, he looks around, on and under the table, "Wait the ice? What ice, you mean the waiter brought ice without champagne?! Preposterous?! He says in mock indignation. "Hahaha, would you stop". "Okay" he smiles, "Tell me more". "I grew up here and have spent most of my life in the northern part of Nigeria, I come from a family of seven, five kids and two parents. I'm the middle kid. I am adventurous and I have a deep hunger to change the world. I believe I harbor superman somewhere on my inside but my geeky Clark Kent exterior has refused to be upstaged and won't let the real Superman come out. I'm still working on that though. In the interim, I work as a deputy PRO with Kama-Kazie Entertainment, it's a fun job. I enjoy it because of the challenge and creative freedom it affords me. I like to read in my spare time and I sing a lot too. My sibling, two elder sisters are married with kids, both live here, my immediate younger brother is serving in Lagos and the youngest is in university.I have a best friend who is also my flat mate Amaka aka Lewi. She's a tad bit psychotic but she makes my life incredibly fun. I pause, smiling "that's enough said, your turn"

"Hmm, alright for now, il let you off cos I know there is a lot more but okay..."

Anyway, I'm the only boy in a family of four, I have an elder sister and two parents, I grew up in London and have been there most of my life. The only time I spent a really long stretch away was when I traveled for university in the States. I had been to Nigeria a couple of times before now, once for my fathers younger brother's wedding which held in Kano State and I really appreciated the serenity and quietness of the northern part of Nigeria compared to the hustle and bustle of Lagos which I am more familiar with. When I made the decision to return back to Nigeria I decided to relocate to Abuja and explore another side of the country. I work in construction and I'm an architect. I love art.....  I draw a lot. I'm not too much of a talker, I like to listen, I think I picked that up from spending so much time with my mother and sister. They just go on and on and on and I'm usually in the middle just listening. I'm usually preconceived as shy and quiet but I have my own slice of superman on the inside as well.

He smiles and continues, my mom and sister live in London, my sister is married with three kids and my mom lives very close to her and her family, my dad lives in Lagos. My mother is British and my dad is from Delta state, He tried moving my mother here but that didn't work," he paused smiling "so my dad shuttles between Nigeria and London most of the time.. He's too stuck on Nigeria to live any where else, he's a business man... errm what else... Okay, I read and draw in my spare time and I consider myself very adventurous as well, traveling is one of my biggest hobbies and every opportunity I have to do so, I do. I'm experimental, I love trying new things. I can cook! He grins widely, "stellar chef, no lie also influenced by mom and sister." "I love basketball and would have been in the NBA if all the stars were aligned but that's a story for another day." He smiles and stops "that's a lot about me, why do I feel like I just sold myself to you, I even said I can cook, like this was some kind of  elevator pitch".
"Hahaha, well at least, I know for sure you're a good marketer, if you're selling, Il definitely buy but you would have to prove your cooking skills first."
He laughs, shaking his head, "Well I'm always ready".

So how do you know Tubosun" I ask, "we grew up together, he says. We were neighbors as kids in Lagos before we moved to London, we lived in the same estate and went to the same primary school. Our families were close so as time went on we gradually became really good friends, When we relocated, we managed to keep in touch through our parents till we were re united again in NYU when I got to college. We had a lot of adventures there, he always acted like the big brother I never had... so naturally he was the first person I called when I came back to Nigeria... That's our love story, if you want to hear all about my sophomore geeky days in college, he can give you an ear full".

"Sweeeet! Il definitely ask" I reply chuckling "he's a good guy, I met him about two years ago when I was transferred up north to Kano to do some work for my company. I ended up living there longer than I had anticipated. Tubosun was working at an NGO in Kano as well and we ended up in the same estate. His flat was next to  mine and let's just say he was a breath of fresh air in a very different environment, we became fast friends. He transferred back to Abuja before me and we also managed to keep in touch till my program was over and I returned back here.. He is a good friend.... really good."

I meet his gaze realizing I had been looking at my glass more than at him and he had been gazing at me. Holding my gaze, he leans in. "You are really beautiful you know" he says looking at me unflinching. He didn't smile as he said it, my heart skipped a beat and i felt my cheeks warm "Thank you", I reply, he's still staring and I can't help but break away, cos his eyes seem to be pulling out some kind of secret radiations from my brain. "You have really nice eyes...  is that why you stare so much..? I ask teasingly" He smiles and leans back into his chair, "There's no one on earth who wouldn't stare at perfection..." He replies still looking at me with those piercing eyes.. Jeez now those butterflies were damn near doing back flips in my tummy. "Wow that was a good one, what movie did you pick that up from?"
 He chuckles "you have a good sense of humor, I like that..." "Shall we order, so I don't spend the whole night making you uncomfortable with my eyes" he smiles, a sly slow smile. "Yes let's do that!' (At least the food would be a distraction from your J-Cole looking ass I say in my mind).

I can feel my phone vibrating uncontrollably in my purse on my lap, I know it's Amaka, pinging and calling me to get the scoop on how the date is going. I had told her I'm sure it would be whack and I would be back home before she knew it, hmm, did I have gist for her! Glancing at my watch, I notice another hour has almost passed, wow had we spent that much time talking. It only seemed like ten minutes ago I walked in here. "Do you have a curfew" he asks playfully, "No, but I have to go to work tomorrow". "You work Saturdays?" "Not always but we have a press conference tomorrow and I'm in charge of logistics." "Well that's a damper, I had already planned my whole Saturday out with you in my head" I smile.. Shyly "Well  maybe next week Saturday then.." He smiles back and leans in, "I'm usually very patient, but I don't think I can wait seven days to see this face again..." I smile shaking my head "you're quite the charmer, aren't you?". He laughs "No...not at all, just being honest..."

Damn he is good...

To be continued...

SHUBU IN "BLIND DATE BOMBSHELL"

The restaurant was dimly lit with an exotic air about it. The furniture was quaint and looked very cozy,  floor to ceiling windows allowed a beautiful view of the National mosque all lit up by the night lights,  Faint r and b music floated across the room, it was boys to men.. Hmmm, Impressive, this place was even better than I had imagined, nice. Couples engrossed in conversation, dinner or themselves were loosely scattered across the room.

I looked at my wristwatch, oh snap it's 830 I was already an hour late damn! Lateness wasn't in my DNA but my boss decided we were working late today of all days!! Today when my homie from way back, Tubosun had convinced me to go on a blind date with his childhood friend who was new in town and was looking for good company. "So I'm good company" I snorted "hmph indeed! oh well, there's nothing to lose and I'm bored anyway", "Bored? more like boy friend-less" he said laughing "oh, whatever" I shook my head and laughed. I had never been on a blind date before but I agreed to give this one a try. Tubosun had refused to tell me what he looked like so I was expecting anything from King Kong to Ramsey Nouah (if I'm lucky!). I told him if his mystery friend was a King Kong, our speaking days are over after I'm done wringing his neck! As usual he responded with his lazy drawl," what's the point of it being a BLIND date if I tell you what he looks like? be optimistic my dear..iv given him you're number and he will call you tonight or tomorrow morning. "

Well, here I was, my optimistic self standing at the door of this fancy restaurant looking for my mystery blind date... He had called me earlier today, introduced himself as Tega and we had set up a date for 7:30 tonight at Abuja's high end spot, "CasaBlanca". I had heard of this place but had never been here, it was much fancier than I had expected.

I squinted my eyes to scan the room for a singular male specie (well I'm guessing he would be sitting alone isn't it) Hmm...., I couldn't see any male specie sitting alone or could it be possible that he wasn't here yet. my brain does a mock gasp, the nerve of that!! That will be a zero for first impressions, while I was busy engaging my mental nuances, the restaurant maitre d' walked up to me, "Hello, ma'am are you looking for someone?"  I smiled "Oh yes I'm supposed to meet someone here actually, his name is Tega". He smiles "ahh Mr Osaka, yes he is expecting you, let me take you to meet him". Hmmmm... he must be a regular here my mind volunteers, I thought Tubosun said he is new in town, how come they know him here, Okay now this is getting more interesting, He led me upstairs to an even more beautiful place, there were fewer people there and it was more intimate. We got to the door and he pointed him out, "that's him over there mam" and he turned and walked away, leaving me alone to walk up to him.

Oh wow! I did a double take, That's him?!

Now I wished I hadn't rushed out of the office so quickly, OH EMM GEE!!

He was sitting at the far end corner of the room,  next to massive window overlooking a fantastic view of the city, he was reading a book. A lone chandelier made for a spotlight over his head. He looked dapper in a navy blue shirt, black pants and a reflector blue tie. His golden brown skin glowed and his full head of well groomed hair was neatly in place, he had strong brows and a well chiseled oval face...his features were impeccable, Ramsey who, Ramsey what?? This dude was fine! was it the lighting....? okay..wow!
I stood rooted to the spot thinking I could make a quick dash to the rest room and fix my make up since he seemed so engrossed in what he was reading, I was about to turn around and creep to the restroom when as if on cue he looked up, straight at me and our eyes met. He stared for a split second then figuring out it was me,he waved me over.

I walked forward to meet him, as I approached, he stood up to greet me, "hello" he said with a baritone voice laced with a thick British accent, "I almost didn't recognize you, Tubosun did no justice to your looks," I shook his outstretched hand. I was tongue tied for a second drinking in his over six foot, lean muscular physique. I smiled to mask my speechlessness.. "You're flattering me so soon" I finally said smiling. He smiled back "far from it". "I'm Tega... once again, nice to meet you in person", "same here" I reply, "I'm Shubu", he smiles "Shubu? never heard that before" "Yeah, my real name is actually Shade but everyone calls me Shubu".

He smiles pulling out a chair for me to sit down "okay Shubu, I'm mighty glad to meet you...."

To be continued...